So I was making bean soups using my InstaPot the past few weekends, when I decided to make some chicken stock to use up the cilantro chicken dumplings in my freezer. I used store bought chicken stock for the bean soups but wanted to make it from scratch for this one. I wanted the unctuous, gelatinous feel of some well made stock instead of the thin broth of store bought. So I bought chicken wings and chicken feet planning to boil them to extract the gelatin.
I first roasted the wings in the oven for a deeper flavor. I roasted garlic with them. Then I put quick singed onion and ginger, the chicken feet, roasted wings, the garlic, and a lot of water into my InstaPot and let it slow cook for ten hours. When it was done, I strained the broth and stored in the fridge. I wanted to keep the meat from the chicken wings, but the chicken feet grossed me out, so I threw them away.
The stock was for the dumplings, but I ended up making a chicken rice soup. It was one of the best soups I ever made — the stock being a really important part. But here’s the rest that went in. Carrots, onions, and celery. Special wild rice perhaps a quarter cup. Some diced potatoes. I cooked up some chicken thighs. For more flavor I tried a different set of spices: sage, bay leaf, parsley. They were dried but imparted a much different flavor profile than I am used to. (I always did thyme and rosemary.)
As I said before, it was one of the best soups I’ve made. I think the stock was great. The choice of the wild rice was better, too. Perhaps I’ll make this once again.
Now about those chicken dumplings in the freezer. I saved some stock in the freezer with them.
